124 SAVAGE SUDAN 



We were told that lions had a strong haunt in these 

 rocks, but neither saw nor heard them. 



The most interesting birds here were the rare and 

 beautiful cinnamon-coloured Alopex kestrels, which preyed 

 on the abounding lizards ; a big pale-grey eagle-owl 

 (Bubo lacteus\ here a cave-dweller, but which we found 

 later, at Jebel Zeraf, nesting in a tree. Broad-winged 

 ravens (Co-runs affinis\ not seen elsewhere till we reached 

 Erkowit by the Red Sea littoral; blue rock-thrushes, 

 helmet-shrikes (Prionops), glossy starlings of a fresh 

 species with chestnut breasts (Lamprocolius chalybceus}. 

 Nasutus hornbill, blue rock-doves, with swarms of guinea- 

 fowl and francolins. Besides these we shot tawny and 

 crested eagles, white-headed vulture, a peregrine falcon, 

 lesser kestrels (Falco cenchris) identical with Spanish 

 examples, and I reck not what besides. 1 



One grateful word in memory of Achmet, my little 

 Arab auxiliary. He had joined unbidden, entering 

 keenly into the joys of hyrax-hunting; but from the start 

 had constituted himself a regular guardian of my personal 

 well-being. After losing the wounded leopard in the 

 dark, he spontaneously took my gun and led me home- 

 wards with almost filial attention taking my hand at 

 awkward passes, breaking down each menacing thorn, and 

 even stooping to throw aside any obstructive stone! 

 Good luck to you, Achmet! Kulu sanna ente taibe. 

 Salaam aleikum ( = For ay your years may you be happy.) 



1 Apropos of kestrels two species of which are named in the last 

 paragraph (besides our British kestrel, which spreads right through the 

 Sudan) it may here be convenient to add that, in 1919, a fourth and unex- 

 pected form came under observation. This was the scarce Falco ardesiacus. 

 On 26th February, my brother J. and I were revelling in one of those 

 recurrent scenes in massed bird-life (near Renk), when this stranger 

 appeared. Though totally unknown, and camouflaged in smoke-grey, yet its 

 kestrel-flight left no doubt as to generic affinities. Duty, doubtless, 

 demanded that the " specimen " be secured ; but so reluctant was I to 

 dissolve the wondrous spectacle enacting before our eyes, that Ardesiacus 

 was allowed to depart in peace, and readers must accept my identification 

 for what it may be worth. 



